Local is more than a buzz word and it's true, it is important we support local agriculture as much as possible! It is a challenge to do this year-round, but thankfully that has gotten easier with the advent of improved indoor food production methods, like Aquaponics.

In saying that, we are used to having a fully stocked produce department year round with a variety of fruits, vegetables, and herbs. Because of where we live, this can't happen without the help of imported produce.

The suppliers we choose to work with, be they small and local or larger distributors, all carry our same ethics for business as we do, or we wouldn’t be working with them.

In the big scheme of things our industry is still relatively small and working with small scale farmers still makes sense. Most of the produce we provide is from these small farms, whether they are in Canada or from farms that originate in Mexico or South America.

The producers from those regions are not unknown entities, not only have we visited some of those farms, but our suppliers have very intimate contact with formalized growing contracts.

We take Ethical Trade just as seriously as Organics and they go hand in hand. When we buy from agents that source in countries like Mexico, for example, we are just as comfortable as if they were next door.

If someone is concerned about integrity of imported organic produce, I would put them mat ease by pointing out the rigorous verification process. Equivalency arrangements are trade agreements made with other countries. Canada only establishes an organic equivalency arrangement with another country after assessing and comparing the 2 regulatory systems, including the standards, to determine whether the principles and outcomes achieved are consistent.

These sometimes-distant farms deserve every bit of respect for taking on organic production, at the same time we are supporting real families and our buying decisions are making a difference.

We do our part to see communities outside of our backyard can thrive as much as closer neighbors. It is truly a global world, and we should do our part to see organic agriculture grows and as well as the livelihood of the families we deal with on a regular basis.

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Article by Frank Sarro, Produce Category Manager